Developing a Thesis Statement
 
A thesis statement is to a research paper what a topic sentence is to a paragraph.
A thesis statement sums up the central idea and purpose of your research paper in one sentence. It seerves as a guide to help you arrange material and stick to the topic. Like a topic sentence, it should be broad enough to be discussed intelligently, but narrow enough to focus on a specific issue or phase of literature. The thesis is formulated while you are reading and should be a product of your own thinking, not an idea found ready-made in a source. The thesis controls what sort of material you will look for and what you will include in the paper.
 
A good research paper should support a particular point. The thesis is a statement of the point that your paper will be trying to prove. A paper that merely collects a mixture of facts does not serve any useful purpose. There are several things to remember about a thesis statement:
  • Your thesis should not be an indisputable fact. No evidence can be, or needs to be, presented to prove a fact.
  • Your thesis should not be merely personal opinions. Opinions are entirely subjective and cannot be supported by factual research.
  • Your research should present an arguable point that can be supported by recognized, authoritative sources.
  • Your thesis should be a complete sentence.
  • Your thesis should have one main idea that is stated clearly and explicitly.
  • Your thesis should realistically limit the topic.
  • Your thesis should not be a question.
  • Your thesis should be stated at the end of the introduction and at the beginning of the conclusion of your research paper.
 
 *Adapted from the Franklin High School Guide to the Research Paper, Franklin High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, June 2003.
 
For addtional information about developing effective thesis statements, visit the following links: